Natural Rubber

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT NATURAL RUBBER - PAGE 4

KOCHI: Innovative use of rubber in various products helps automobiles cut high fuel cost. Defence engineers have started experimenting with retread rubber sheathing over the metal chains of battle tanks and armoured vehicles to increase mileage . Rubber sheathing will not only cut the fuel cost of tanks almost 25% by reducing road friction but also make the ride comfortable and eco-friendly . The defence production department has started enquiries...

KOCHI: In a year of success stories in natural rubber, there has been at least one setback for our growers. Thailand has overtaken India in the production of natural rubber in '05. Thailand, with a yield of 1,750 kg per hectare, has emerged as number one as far as natural rubber productivity is concerned after the figures for '05 have been finalised. India stood second with a yield of 1,726 kg per hectare and Vietnam was at the third position with a per hectare yield of 1,480 kg. Malaysia (1,331 kg)

KOCHI: Rubber and tyre industries have stated that the Rubber Board data for the first three quarters (Apr-Dec 13) only supports industry's view that import of natural rubber played no role in drop in domestic prices which, according to the industry, was more in line with softness being witnessed in the commodity internationally. According to the newly released Rubber Board data, in Apr-Dec. 13 period, the rubber imports have increased by 91,135 tonnes. On the other hand the decline in domestic rubber production in the same period is 70,200 tonnes leaving a net excess of only 21,843 tonnes.

KOCHI: The tyre dealers have voiced concern at the tyre prices remaining high despite a drop in rubber prices and have urged the government to intervene in the matter to protect the interests of tyre trade and road transporters. The All India Tyre Dealers' Federation said two years ago the tyre makers hiked tyre prices by 26 to 30% in all categories of tyres, rather than raising the rates selectively on some categories of tyres, when the natural rubber prices touched Rs 240 per kg mark.

KOTTAYAM: Country's production of natural rubber was 43,635 tonnes during June '02 as against 39,175 tonnes in June '01, Rubber Board sources said. The total production during the first quarter of the current financial year was 1,25,845 tonnes, registering a growth of 2.7% compared to corresponding period of previous year. Weak monsoon and consequent realisation of more tapping days helped increase in production of natural rubber. Consumption of natural rubber stood at 56,740 tonnes during June as against 56,505 tonnes in previous month.

NEW DELHI: Natural rubber production in India fell by 13.5 per cent last month to 50,000 tonnes, increasing the country's dependence on imports. The domestic consumption of rubber, on the other hand, increased to 82,500 tonnes in February from 79,375 tonnes a year ago. "Production of NR (natural rubber) decreased by 13.5 per cent to 50,000 tonnes during February from 57,800 tonnes during February 2014," Rubber Board said in a statement. Import of natural rubber increased to 28,806 tonnes last month from 20,300 tonnes in the same month last year.

NEW DELHI: Import of natural rubber was up by 91 per cent to 18,141 tonnes in February this year on fall in domestic production amid strong demand for the commodity . The rubber import stood at 9,497 tonnes in the same month last year, according to the Rubber Board data. Total import of natural rubber during April-February period was also up 44 by per cent at 2.99 lakh tonnes, against 2.07 lakh tonnes in the same period last year. Production of natural rubber dropped to 60,000 tonnes during February 2014 against 62,000 tonnes in the same month last year.

MUMBAI: The natural rubber imports in January fell by a fifth to 19,696 tonnes from a year earlier as a hike in the import duty made overseas purchase less lucrative for tyre makers, a senior official with the state-run Rubber Board told Reuters. The nation imported 24,505 tonnes during the same period last year, the official said on Thursday. In December 2013, the country raised import duties on natural rubber by 50 percent to curb rising imports that pushed local prices to their lowest in four years.

NEW DELHI: Natural rubber imports have risen by 58 per cent to 1.61 lakh tonnes in the first six months of 2014, Parliament was informed today. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said imports of natural rubber during the January-June period of last year stood at 1.02 lakh tonnes. The prices of natural rubber are falling in the domestic following the decline in international market, she added. "Fall in rubber prices in domestic market is mainly due to declining trend of prices in the international market, relatively low growth in the demand for specific norms of natural rubber, and increased level of import ," she said.

NEW DELHI: Increased area under rain guarding system and favourable weather condition surged India's natural rubber production by 4.3% in September to 77,500 tonnes as compared to the same month last year. The country had produced 74,300 tonnes of rubber in September, 2009, the Rubber Board said in a statement. The statement, however, did not mention the details of how much acreage increased under rain guarding system, which prevents rain from interfering with the rubber collection.